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Ranking the NBA's Notable Free Agents on the Market Right Now

At the stroke of midnight, NBA Free Agency began in earnest as teams were free to begin negotiating with players. This year’s crop of free agents is a very interesting one, a mix of high-profile superstars who have opted out of their contracts (LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh), up-and-comers hitting free agency for the first time (Kyle Lowry, Eric Bledsoe, Chandler Parsons) and seasoned veterans grabbing one last big check before retirement (Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Vince Carter).

The destinations of all these players have already become a huge source of intrigue, and that's only going to grow over the coming days and weeks. The domino effect of each move will trigger a flurry of others throughout the league; after LeBron and Carmelo decide what they’re doing, all the other teams who miss out will truly kick into gear and begin the process of building their teams for next season.

It’s important to remember we’re dealing with two types of free agent: restricted and unrestricted. An unrestricted free agent can sign with any team he likes, without any limitations. A player is deemed a restricted free agent if his team submits a one-year “qualifying offer” at 125 percent of the player’s previous salary, and the player refuses to accept it. He is then allowed to field offers from other teams, but his original team holds a “right of first refusal,” and can keep their player by choosing to match any contract offered to him.

There is plenty of talent in both the restricted and unrestricted pool of players this summer. Here’s a look at Ranking The Notable Free Agents on the Market Right Now From Best to Most Overrated.